Traveling Mercies for August 7 – 12
Listening for God’s Word.
“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and those who live in it. Who shall stand in God’s holy presence? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts; who do not lift up their souls to what is false and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek the face of the God of Jacob. So open your minds and your doors so that the King of Glory may come in.” Psalm 24
The psalm begins with, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.“ That verse is meant to heighten our awareness of the One whose presence we enter in worship. But it is also intended to remind us about the kind of God before whom we live. If we think about it, believing that the earth is the Lord’s, must mean something for the way we look at environmental issues. It has to mean something for the way we use our assets and possessions. What must it mean for how governments do justice, protect rights, and provide for people’s health and well-being? The next stanza moves to our individual lives when it asks, “Who shall stand in God’s presence? Anyone who has clean hands and a pure heart.” At that point we realize that verse raises a bar that none of us can reach. But thank God, that is not what it means, and we know it because of the reference to the God of Jacob. Remember Jacob’s story? Jacob was, at times, stubborn, deceitful, and conniving. Yet God made Jacob into one of the key figures in God’s divine history. Why? Because Jacob was never chosen because of righteousness. God chose him because he was teachable, and malleable so God was able to transform Jacob’s life…until he became Israel – a new person with a new name. We are invited, like Jacob, into a new life. The last stanza of this psalm speaks about the King of Glory entering in. The last verses remind us that the Lord is always knocking at the doors of our hearts and our homes and our churches, asking for admission, and our obedience. We’re called to open our minds to learn the new things God is after for us, and from us. We’re called to open our doors – whatever doors they might be – that are shut to new and different people or that we’ve closed against our own. We’re called to do this so that we can become a new, alternative community in the world that is marked by God’s presence and God’s glorious power to change lives with love, mercy, and grace.
Blessing:
Keep me, O Christ, in a love that is compassionate; Keep me, O Christ, in a love that is true; Keep me, O Christ, in a love that is strong, Today, tomorrow, and always.
Peace, Pastor Ed